


(Fish)Bowl Full of Mysteries

by Khouza



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 12:08:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12681585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khouza/pseuds/Khouza
Summary: Momo always had a certain fear when it comes to things she can't control.Sana loves the thrill of leaving things to other forces,





	(Fish)Bowl Full of Mysteries

 

 

Hirai Momo always had a certain fear when it comes to things she could not control. Why leave something to chance when you can rig the results yourself through your own efforts? A specific example of this is when she got randomly roomed together in college with a certain Minatozaki Sana. 

 

“You must be Momo!” Sana greets with an overzealous tone. 

 

“Hi,” Momo greets back as plainly as she could. Aside from that excessively large suitcase on one of Sana’s hand, Momo wonders about that strangely gift wrapped sphere tucked between the other girl’s arm and hip. 

 

“I hope you don’t mind,” Sana continues as soon as Momo closed her mouth, “but while I was on my way here, I saw this really cute goldfish looking at me from the pet store window and I was sure it was choosing me as an owner so I had to take it with me!” Instantly, the wrapper turn crumpled and lay on the floor like some sort of professional magic act, revealing the fore mentioned goldfish inside a twelve inch diameter bowl.

 

Momo wanted to decline. Having a pet to take care of during college won’t be easy. “I-“

 

“Great!” Momo steps back, aghast at the sudden burst of peppiness. “Hold her for a while I still have some luggage outside be back in a jiffy!” Sana orders and announces without breathing between her sentences, leaving Momo with a third resident against her will.

 

All was said and done before Sana even managed to take one step inside their new dorm room, too. This will strike Momo as her weirdest first conversation ever. It’s also the beginning of Momo’s investigation on the mystery that is Sana’s head.

 

Still flabbergasted, Momo looks down between her hands and she sees the fish looking back at her with its ugly eyes, bubbling in its own business as if its mocking her.

 

She hates the damn fish already.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Why?” Momo screeches, forcing Sana to cover her ears for a second. “Why did she have to die so young?” She cradles the bowl, a lifeless figure floating in the middle, water spilling all over the bathroom tiles.

 

For twelve months, the two friends kept that creature with utmost love and care. Well, at least the love part. Who knew they had to buy a filter to keep the fish kicking? All this time they thought it was just some stupid decoration to make an aquarium look pretty with thousands of little bubbles.

 

“Momo,” Sana, the more composed between the two, repeatedly pats the crying girl’s back for emotional support, “we have to let her go now.” She nudges Momo towards the open toilet, gesturing for her to pour the contents in. “She has to go to fish heaven.”

 

“Can’t we just bury her behind the dorm?” Momo protests as she recklessly wiped her tears with a palm, hugging the bowl tighter and Sana felt a little scared that it might shatter. “I’m not comfortable saying goodbye to her in the same place we take a shit.”

 

“She’s a fish.” Sana tries again, softly caressing the length of her roommate’s arm. “She needs to return to the ocean.” (Not all sewers connect to the sea).

 

Reluctantly, and almost half an hour of impromptu eulogy, Momo poured the contents and flushed the toilet before she had the urge to scoop the fish back out. 

 

Sometimes, the things you hate are also the things that you love.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Her head was fuzzy and her eyes were exhausted. It was a long night of lonely crying that it felt like it was her first heartbreak. A little, just a little, Momo finds it funny that her heart got broken by a fish of all the things in the world. She partly blames Sana for introducing it to her in the first place, but is mostly thankful that she did.

 

Feelings are a dangerous kaleidoscope, unexpected and lasting. No one can control it. Momo fears it the most.

 

She spits her toothpaste on the sink and rinses afterwards. Her eyes involuntarily glances at the toilet beside her and her heart tugs a pint of pain. “Stupid,” she says as she bangs her head on the mirror (it was also kind of stupid to hit her head, brain cells dying and all), “crying over a fish.” She laughs for a second before exiting the bathroom.

 

The smell of bacon and eggs fills the place and Momo’s appetite automatically grumbles at the sense.

 

“ _Momo_ rning!” Plates clink on their wooden table as Sana rushes to Momo with her daily morning snuggle. Momo wears an annoyed face but Sana knows she likes it anyways.

 

Sana only ever cooks if there's a special occasion, this being an effort for getting over their dead pet. She’s not doing a good job though, with the cream on their coffee shaped like a fish (must have asked Chaeyoung to teach her how to make it).

 

They have a week off from school, something about their cafeteria nesting dozens of rats and is under inspection. She’s sure Nayeon and Jeongyeon have something to do with it since they kept saying they’ve wanted to take a week long vacation for their anniversary.

 

After breakfast, Momo wanted to sleep more. She couldn’t sleep much last night and the drowse is catching up to her. Just after she started walking towards her room, something caught her eye.

 

“What’s this?” She asks, heading towards the supposedly empty fish bowl on their coffee table, now slightly filled with a bunch of neatly folded white papers.

 

“It’s a surprise for the both of us!” Sana expresses joyously, appearing yet again around Momo in a hug as if she has teleportation magic. “I had a thought last night,” she whispers against Momo’s ear like they’re not alone in the room, “and I felt kind of bad that we never took her out to the world.” (Not like you can leisurely carry a bowl in the park for a walk).

 

“And?”

 

“So I asked the others, _where do you think a pet fish would want to go?_ ”

 

“By others, you mean Jeongyeon and the rest of the gang?” Momo deadpans. The question itself is already idiotic, she wonders what their answers are - most probably nothing good.

 

“Yup!” Sana jumps excitedly. She finds everything exciting. “So I asked them to write it down and I pit them all together and here we are.”

 

 _A fishbowl of mysteries_ , Sana dubs.

 

Momo doesn’t like where this is going. “What are we supposed to do with them?”

 

“We open them once a day and go do whatever it says!” Sana jumps again, clapping repeatedly like an eight year old. “We have nothing planned for the week anyways.”

 

“I don’t know,” Momo trails, trying to figure out the dumb answers their friends wrote. Nayeon probably wrote something perverted, Tzuyu must have wrote something offensive, and who knows what Chaeyoung’s thinking.

 

“Come on Momoring~” Their hands connect and it makes her warm, more than hugs. “Life is so short, let’s enjoy it!”

 

“Why do people keep saying that?” Her nose scrunches with sudden knowledge. “It’s actually the longest thing we humans get to experience.”

 

“That’s definitely not you.” Sana quips. “You’ve been spending too much time with Chaeyoung.” Momo felt quite hurt at the remark. But honestly, she did steal that line from their philosophical friend.

 

“Alright!” Momo whines, rocking their locked hands sideways. “I’ll do whatever the paper says.”

 

“Promise!” Sana smiles exploding stars. You could see the shimmer in her eyes. “No rejections, okay?”

 

Momo has a certain fear whenever it comes to things she can’t control. Now, she’s giving her reins away. She’s not exactly sure why.

 

“I promise.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I. Want. To. Back. Out.” Momo couldn’t stress her feelings enough at the moment. “Why would anyone, in any world, take their pet fish to an amusement park!?”

 

“Apparantly,” Sana bites back a smile, seeing Momo baffled makes it hard to, “Jeongyeon would.”

 

“No, she wouldn’t! She’s just messing with me this time. The letter clearly says so.”

 

They decided that Sana gets to pick first. She swirled her hand inside the bowl, picked the one that was talking to her, unfolds it, and voila.

 

**_Go to the amusement park, Momo needs to learn they’re more fun than your fish. With much love, Jeongyeon._ **

 

**_P.S. I better not find my refrigerator empty when me and Nayeon come back!_ **

 

“I’m so gonna ransack that fridge of hers like it’s the last source of food left on Earth.” Momo grumbles and Sana just finds her funny. “I’m gonna leave her pillows on the floor and-and-and fill her trash cans with trash. That’ll show her!”

 

“You’re so evil, Momo.” Sana says sarcastically but Momo fails to notice. 

 

“I am, huh?” Arms crossed and a smug appears on Momo’s face.

 

Sana takes a firm but soft grip on Momo’s wrist, leading her to the carousel entrance. “Let's go! We can start something slow for you.”

 

The first few rides went without a hitch - given they were all for children. Carousels, bumper carts, spinning tea cups. It’s when Sana had asked Momo to ride a roller coaster with a vertical loop that made things chaotic.

 

“Anything but that, Sana.” Momo said teary eyed filled with despair.

 

“You promised, _no rejections_.” Momo doesn’t say anything, instead, takes a step back and would probably runaway like a scared puppy if not for Sana's hold. “How ‘bout this. Let’s ride this, and I’ll help you vandalize Jeongyeon’s place.” With that, Momo reluctantly agrees. But it didn’t help lessen her fear of the ride.

 

The whole two minutes, Momo closed her eyes and hid her face on Sana’s arm, tightly squeezing for security (ignoring the purpose of the safety bar in front of her), screeching until her lungs practically imploded from lack of oxygen. Sana went deaf on one side for the rest of the day, but it was worth it.

 

That night, all the soap from Jeongyeon’s room just mysteriously vanished.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_**Go to the aquarium. You two need to learn more about fishes. I told you a million times to buy a filter.** _

 

_**\- Mina** _

 

“Do you remember her saying that?” Sana asks, honestly confused.

 

“I heard her say, one time, that it needed to get fitter since I feed it too much.” Momo scratches the back of her head. “I don’t actually remember. It’s hard to hear her sometimes.” _Most of the time_ , she wanted to say instead.

 

Within this elegant and astonishing underwater maze, Momo locks hands with Sana again from fear of getting lost. Although child minded, every now and then they pretend to be mermaids floating with the gifts of the sea. 

 

This is only the second day, yet, Momo can’t help but think they’ve been doing a bucket list for couples. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

_**Go out and fish! There’s plenty of fish in the sea!** _

 

_**Dubudubudubu OoOOooO {.^^} <** _

 

“I want to pinch her cheeks when we get home.” Momo says softly with puckered lips.

 

“Adorable!” Sana agrees. But the way her eyes connect to Momo’s felt like she wasn't talking about Dahyun. Nothing wrong with that. Momo knows she’s adorable.

 

For the third consecutive day, their hands meet. This time, however, it’s mostly to balance themselves as their both rocks wildly against the currents. It’s not that the rails didn’t exist or are broken, it’s just that they trust each other more to balance the other (Momo laughs inside because she’s depending on Sana for stability).

 

The ride was long and exhausting before they reached the designated fishing area. 

 

It was just the two of them, their fisherman guide, and the vastness of the ocean.

 

Their bright orange life vests made it hard for them to move around. So when Momo tried casting her pole for the first time, she slipped backwards and into Sana’s arms, quite bewildered how fast Sana caught her.

 

“Thanks,” Momo mutters, a tad shy.

 

“No problem. I’ll always be here to catch you.” Sana said in a cheesy manner. If it were any other day, Momo would have rolled her eyes like what Tzuyu does all the time. But for some reason, she felt embarrassed. And she’s fearful as to why.

 

Over the course of two hours, Momo had caught zero, nada. The fault was of her own since every bite she successfully baits, she gets scared that she might get pulled overboard instead, dropping her pole at the first movement. 

 

Sana, however, seemed like a natural. She casts her pole, and a nudge can be felt just after a few seconds. She reels the prey in with ease and holds them with her own two hands as Momo takes pictures. But they were only doing this for fun. So with every fish caught, Sana returns them to the sea. 

 

This looked familiar. Momo wonders if the saying there are plenty of fish in the sea work both metaphorically and literally for Sana.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**_Go snorkeling._ **

 

**_I remember Momo mentioning she wanted to go to space. This is the closest I can think of. — Chaeyoung :)_ **

 

“Leave it to Chaeyoung to suggest something actually meaningful.” Momo praises with a warm heart. (She’s going to get a box of a hundred twenty crayons when they get back home).

 

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Sana rallies, rocking the small boat they rented. If only they knew they would have to come back out here again, they would have done two birds (or in this case, two fishes) with one stone. Dahyun and Chaeyoung think so differently that sometimes they think the same. “I’ve never done this before! Isn’t it so exciting?”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Momo glances towards Sana before quickly busying herself with the equipment on hand. It clearly said on the website that the proper attire should be in some form of rash guard and board shorts. So what in heaven’s name was Sana doing in a black and orange bikini? The colors would send someone to jail if they stare too long.

 

When all the necessary preparations was done, Sana stood on the deck with a salute. “See you on the other side!” And then she's gone with a splash.

 

Momo got up as well to where Sana was just a few seconds ago. Her friend’s silhouette - her ass if Momo were to be honest - can be seen from her point of view, slowly disappearing into the reefs. “The other side doesn’t look too bad.” She mumbles with a small grin.

 

If they were imagining being mermaids in the aquarium two days ago, they were clearly underestimating it. Momo has no idea what she looks like right now, but Sana was just simply breathtaking. 

 

She chases after Sana who was fully distracted by a clownfish that swam past her. When she finally catches up, Sana shoots a smile behind her mask with pure genuineness, and Momo just freezes. 

 

Sana closes the gap in slo-mo (everything looks better in slo-mo) between them with her arms around Momo’s neck and they stay like that, in each other’s gaze, rotating slowly in place with what little gravity the ocean offers.

 

The beauty of the sea doesn’t compare to the dazzle in front of her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Is this a joke?” Momo asks Sana who’s sharing the same confused look.

 

“Does she seem the type to joke around?”

 

_**Go to sleep together. I mean it literally. You two are the noisiest next to those bickering couple. Maybe the fish wanted some peace and quiet too. This dorm has thin walls just in case you didn’t know. Take some sleeping pills, more than one if you prefer. Just text me before you do so I can prepare my well deserved and overdue long quiet hot bath.** _

 

_**Tzuyu** _

 

At least Momo was right in predicting Tzuyu’s paper being offensive.

 

“Well, the rule was _no rejections_ , right?” Momo shrugs, folding and tossing the paper on the coffee table. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” After what her heart went through yesterday (which she didn’t know could happen at the sight of Sana’s flesh), Momo gravely needed the rest.

 

Momo jumps from the base of her bed and lands face first on the mattress with spread arms, bouncing a couple of times before becoming stable. When was the last time she spent a whole day sleeping, she asks to no one specifically. 

 

The best thing about her sleeping habits is that she can sleep almost instantaneously - anytime, anywhere. Only ten seconds in, and her breath's already even. So, when Momo wakes up after just five minutes due a sudden dip beside her, she’s cranky already.

 

“What are you doing?” Momo asks with narrowed eyes. She tries to play it cool, not letting her irritation show.

 

“Getting myself comfortable.” Sana replies matter-of-factly. She lifted Momo’s left arm before sliding underneath it and dropped it on her chest like a seatbelt.

 

The sudden intimacy places Momo under duress, her snarky attitude a second ago vanishes into dust. “Why?”

 

“It’s what Tzuyu wrote.” Sana shifts in place to face her roommate, her breasts sliding below Momo’s arm. “ _Sleep together_.” 

 

And she closes her eyes as if it’s the easiest thing to do - it is, actually, as easy as breathing. But Momo is having difficulties doing either, and it’s practically driving her nuts. One would’ve guess they’ve slept in the same bed before, being roommates for a year now, not to mention both of their borderline invasion of personal space, but it never really come to a time they had to.

 

Because of Tzuyu, because of a promise, because of that dead fish, Momo’s sharing her bed with Sana for the first time. She couldn’t sleep at all. And it’s safe to say, Momo failed the day’s challenge.

 

Her fear escalates, her chest pounds, and she hopes Sana doesn’t hear it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_**Go skinny dipping! No cheating! Kekekekeke! I expect some “wet” stories from the both of you! Wink wink wink! ‘.^** _

 

_**Your most beloved and prettiest friend,** _

 

_**Rank #1,** _

 

_**Nayeon the Goddess.** _

 

“Well,” Sana inquires, looking back and forth between Momo and the note she’s holding, “what does it say?”

 

For the longest three seconds of Momo’s life, she wanted to lie to Sana’s face for the first time. She really, really, really considers it. But she can’t. Not to her best friend. “Nayeon told us to go…” Momo inhales, and exhales, and Sana doesn’t look any less curious, “she wants us to go skinny dipping…”

 

“Oh,” Sana twitches backwards as she covered her mouth with a hand. “Uhm,” she continues with an uncharacteristic tone, “we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

 

In all honesty, Momo expected Sana to be excited, or slyly say something cheesy or flirty. Certainly not embarrassed and hesitant. “What about the _no rejection_ rule?”

 

“Yeah, but,” Sana glances away as she fails to hide a blush from Momo, “Nayeon crossed a line.”

 

In the beginning, Momo sincerely wanted to back out. She didn’t like leaving her fate in the hands of others. But over the past five days, she began to doubt her beliefs, doubt her fears. Now, she’s being asked by the mastermind if she wanted to stop, giving back her reins on a silver platter.

 

Should they stop?

 

Momo smiles. She finds it funny. After finally gaining control of her choices again, the first one she decides to make contradicts all her worries she had in the past week.

 

With renewed vigor, Momo fits her hand with Sana’s yet again, gesturing for her to stand. “Let’s go!”

 

“We-,” Sana stutters as her legs stood erect, “-we’re actually gonna do this?” Momo nods, pulling Sana towards the door, and out the dormitory. “Where are we even gonna do this?” She asks loudly as the two increased their speed into a run (or a jog from an average person’s view).

 

“To the school’s pool. School’s still closed. No one’s there.”

 

They say you pick up some traits of the person you’ve spent a lot of time with. The tables have turned and Momo’s the excited one this time. 

 

A little too excited that when they reached the pool, Momo stripped everything she had on in under twenty seconds. And like all sudden bursts of high, things must fall down. And Momo’s excitement crashes, revealing yet again her conscious side, and everything else the naked eye can see.

 

“Uh,” Momo turns her back on Sana, facing the pool, “you should strip now too.” She didn’t hear anything else aside from the subtle pool crashing against the borders. 

 

Seconds passed, a minute passed, and Momo felt the most exposed she’s ever been (maybe because her bare ass is facing Sana).

 

Finally, Sana made a sound in the form of a giggle. Momo never really noticed how calming it actually sounds.

 

A shirt lands beside Momo’s feet. She couldn’t remember the color of the top Sana was just wearing. It’s not important right now. Deep blue sleeping shorts are suddenly hanging on Momo’s left shoulder, succumbing to gravity just as fast. The rest of the clothing (what's left of it) can be heard being tossed from the back. And her heart races for the countless of times this week. She remembers the color of the top! It was grey.

 

Her hand warms in familiarity, holding it tight. “Momo,” she hears Sana beside her, “let’s go?"

 

Momo nods, turning to face the other. She finds Sana staring back with the gentlest smile she’s seen her wear, and all petty anxiety being unclothed disappeared into insignificance.

 

“Let’s go.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

**_Go watch the sunset. The fish would’ve loved that._ **

 

**_Love, Jihyo_ **

 

 _Thank you, God, for Jihyo!_ Momo screams internally, as she reread the note for the nth time. _Finally, something normal!_

 

Don’t get her wrong. She has come to love the weird thing’s they have been made to do over the week. But it doesn’t hurt to do something average every now and then.

 

So here they are, two girls laying cozily on top a clean blanket over a grassy hill, staring into the horizon. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete if their fingers weren’t connected. Momo grew fond of holding the other girl, embarrassed to be vocal regarding the intimate gesture.

 

If Sana had a morning routine of hugging her, surely, Momo can have her daily routine of holding Sana's hand, right?

 

Momo hears Sana giggle out of the blue, and as much as she loved to hear it more, she questions it. “Why are you laughing?”

 

Sana rolls onto her side, the same picture she looked liked when they shared a bed, and poked Momo’s cheek. “We still haven’t said anything about last night.”

 

Momo blushes at the image. “What’s there to talk about?” 

 

“I love your abs,” Sana says rather innocently as she snuck a hand inside Momo’s shirt, sliding it gently at the mentioned part.

 

“Yeah?” Momo plays along. “I love your thighs.” And she mimics Sana’s flow.

 

“I love your hips.”

 

“I love your waist.”

 

“I love your rack.” A laugh escapes the both of them.

 

“I love your ass.” They make it sound pure.

 

“I love your ears.”

 

“I love your cheeks.”

 

Just realizing it, the space between them had disappeared, and their hands, cupping the other’s face. Time slows down, and breathing became difficult.

 

They were supposedly to watch the sun, yet, they find themselves staring at their newly discovered star.

 

It was the perfect moment to confess. Confess something she tried hiding and ignoring all this time.

 

But fear overtook her. 

 

Sorry to say, they missed the sunset.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It’s a sad night, Momo thought. This was the last day of finding out the mysteries their friends set them out on. She never thought about wanting to do more when all this started.

 

She needed some alone time, to think things through and what to do with her relationship with Sana from now on. They can’t just stay friends after all that, right? Well, in theory, two purely platonic people can. But the mixed emotions she experienced clearly tells her that there is nothing platonic left in them anymore. Or is it just her? Is this still all fun and games to Sana?

 

Fear is catching up to Momo again. Feelings are way too complicated to deal with.

 

So when they reached home, Momo sped walked through the living room, leaving Sana at the entrance. 

 

It was supposed to be a simple escape. In her head, she saw herself running towards her room and locking it shut to contemplate her next move. What she didn’t see was her stopping next to the fishbowl, wondering why there’s an untouched note beneath the spheric glass. She didn’t notice this before, hidden underneath all the other notes.

 

Momo turns to Sana in perplexity, and Sana’s just… smiling at her. “What’s this?” She points at the object of her bewilderment.

 

“A note.” Sana simply said as she neared Momo. “The last one.”

 

“I thought we were done?” Momo says, more like a whisper, unsurely.

 

“Well, _we_ are not.” Sana replies, and Momo noticed how she said _we_. She felt butterflies as she heard it.

 

So, out of curiosity, and just to simply end all these mysteries once and for all, Momo picks up the bowl to free the note underneath. She unfolds it and soon after, drops of tears fall on the sheet of paper, partly turning it into mush.

 

Momo laughs as she cried and Sana couldn’t help but get infected with laughter as well. She finds it hilarious. She always thought Sana loved leaving things to other forces. So when Momo found out this was actually rigged from the start, she just can’t help but bellow in amusement.

 

“Minatozaki Sana,” Momo says softly after calming down, connecting their hands again for countless of times already, “this is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

“Hirai Momo,” Sana closes the gap, stopping only when their bodies have no more room to move forward to, “you’re worth the cheesiness.”

 

Their lips connect, and it was easy to breathe again. All of Momo’s worries uplifted.

 

Momo always had a certain fear when it comes to things she can’t control. But hey, who said fear has to be a bad thing?

 

“Momo! Sana!” The two pause, disconnecting themselves from each other when they hear the door bang from the outside.

 

But sometimes, fear is well deserved and accounted for. This instance came in the form of Yoo Jeongyeon.

 

“I know you two are in there!” The banging on the door intensifies. “Where the fuck are all my soaps?!”

 

Sana takes Momo’s hand into hers with a loving grin. “Let’s get out of here.” Sana proposes, bopping her head in the direction of their window.

 

Momo brightens up at the idea. “Let’s go!”

 

They ran, leaving everything else behind. 

 

Leaving the fuming Jeongyeon. 

 

Leaving the fishbowl.

 

Leaving the note as it lands on top the table.

 

 

 

_**Go out with me?** _

 

_**Sana <3** _

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A spur of the moment oneshot. Supposedly for Momo's bday.


End file.
